forum The LAIKA's Journey (closed rp)

Started October 21, 2019 by @Young-Dusty-the-Monarch-of-Dusteria group

tune

Ba'al took his entrance as a welcome chance to toss her cards in frustration. "She's kicking my butt, is whats up," she grumbled. She'd been trying to make sense of the foreign game, but it wasn't easy, and Effy kept beating her each round.

"Haha, naw you're doing great, Ba'al, you're just about to have a major breakthrough, but what's up with you, Cappy? Is it time for lunch?" She stretched and started sniffing around the cabin.

Treb stared at Effy with increasingly tired eyes, trying to think. "Um….it's actually past midnight, according to the day-night passage of the planet we just left. Aren't you feeling kinda ready for sleep yet, uh….miss….lady….do you have some sorta honorific I can use on you? I dunno what your culture's norm is, sorry."

Effy tilted her head and looked at him, "Just call me Effy, Cap. I could sleep, if that's the thing. How about a midnight snack first?" She smiled a little, then laughed. "It's okay though, you look beat. I can wait."

Treb tried to neaten his hair with a cool sweep of his hand, but only succeeded in making a tuft of it stick straight up like a unicorn horn. "Nah, it's fine. You can have a little more before bed if you really need it. I was thinking of getting something myself. Want something too, Ba'al?"

"Fine," Ba'al said, shifting away to flop in one of the beds to test it. out. "I'll take whatever."

Effy tested a mattress quickly before turning to Treb. "Let me help. You've done all the work so far. Plus I want to learn the system."

Treb's heart flip-flopped in panic at the thought of letting a stranger near the inner workings of his precious ship, but forced the feeling down and nodded with an attempted grin. "That's real kind of you, Effy. C'mon, the kitchen's just over here. Some of the heatcans are a little….touchy, so you'll have to be careful with them, okay?"

"I'm staying here," Ba'al said, voice muffled by the bed. "You guys go have fun, I'm tired. Call me when it's ready."

Effy gave him a reassuring look, noticing his unease. "No problem, I'm a quick learner. I'll watch close while you show me just how it's done, okay? Hey, this is quite a …. nice … um … spaceship thing you got here," she said politely.

"Well, I guess she's not much to look at," Treb replied, clearly relaxing slightly as they addressed his favorite topic. "But the LAIKA's a tough, reliable ship–a little C-9006 Dinger I got from a retired military scout in Paraman. Her instruments are perfect for scavenging, too. All I had to do was convert some extra space for cargo and add a carbon tagger, which is pretty easy." He got to the kitchen–which was really just a cubby with cooking appliances built in–and started hunting up some more food. "Might be a bit cramped in here with a crew to handle, but I've been needing an extra pair of hands and I think it'll be worth it. So what kinds of ships do you have on your planet?"

"Oh, I guess a little of this and a little of that," she answered vaguely, watching very alertly, as he opened and closed storage hatches. "I didn't pay much attention to those things, so long as I could get where I needed to go. My boys could tell you all the models, specs and regulations at the drop of a hat. Maybe you'll meet them someday." She started to reach for a package of food, but managed to stop and put her hands behind her back. She seemed to calm herself by whistling a soft tune.

"Yeah, maybe I will." Treb noticed the package she reached for and picked it up, tearing it open and pouring the contents into a mesh pocket of sorts. He then tucked the pocket into one of the 'heatcans' and flipped on the burner. "So, this knob's a bit loose, so don't turn it too far or it'll fall off. and this one here is sort of sticky for some reason, so don't use it unless you have to. The other one's the best, but I'm saving it for when the other two break all the way. Clear?"

She looked at him for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Why, yes!" she said. "You certainly have a knack for explaining technology." She watched his face carefully.

Treb shrugged her off, trying not to be too easily buttered up. "Yeah, well. I've had a lot of time to learn how this ship likes to be handled. I've flown her….I think almost ten years now, and we've already done four expeditions to the Fringes together." He neglected to mention that for nine of those years, he'd essentially been the ship's cabin boy, considering that to be perfectly irrelevant information that undermined his current position as captain. "So don't worry, you're in good hands."

"I see," she swallowed a smile. "And what about our shipmate? Experienced?" She nodded towards the living chamber.

"Uhhh…." Treb quickly flicked off the heatcan as he noticed the food inside was starting to froth dangerously. "To be honest, I just met her, so I have no idea. For all I know, she could be a totally unhinged criminal murderer looking for some fresh prey and a hideout away from the law." Treb grimaced to himself and tried, too late, to backpedal a bit. "I mean I doubt that's what she is, of course. She's probably perfectly fine and safe and a great sailor. Don't tell her I called her a criminal."

"Hey. I would not ever do that! We have to make a team if we are going to get anywhere!" she huffed a little and her eyes glinted, probably more concerned about the food being spoiled than anything else. "She's not very communicative, but I have no problem with her so far. No problem with either of you." She stamped her foot a bit.

"Okay, okay," Treb replied, a bit taken aback by Effy's sudden stridence. "That's great. I don't have a problem with anyone personally. Um…..anyway….here's the food." He took a metal bowl, pushing it into a slot below the heatcan and flipping the can upside down using a small handle on its side. The food fell into the bowl with a plop, along with the half-dissolved remnants of the mesh packet. "Don't worry about the insulation there, it's edible. Kinda spicy, actually. Give it a stir and divide it up into thirds for me, would you?" He realized he hadn't really allowed Effy to help him cook, and this was his lame attempt to make up for that now that they were almost done.

"Yessir," she saluted jauntily, seemingly back on an even keel, and followed directions with surprising dexterity considering the length of her claws. She found a tray and proceeded to carry the snack into the room where Ba'al was waiting. She spoke over her shoulder, "My goodness, this smells amazing!"

"Thanks," Treb replied. "It's pretty good quality, for space rations, so don't get too attached to it. That stuff's hard to find in the ports around here." He followed Effy back into the sleeping quarters, wondering if Ba'al had dozed off. "Hey, uh, Ba'al? Food's ready."

Ba'al rose from her prone position and took an offered bowl. "I hope you have spoons," she grumbled, but gave an appreciative sniff of the food, despite her grumpy tone.

"Sure do….sort of," Treb replied, handing out sporks. "Did we decide it would be lights out after this? You guys both seem….pretty tired." He didn't actually think Effy seemed tired at all, but thought he should try and establish some order since he was technically in charge.

"I'm good with that," Effy said cheerfully, between bites. "I don't know about you guys, but I can sleep anywhere, anytime."

"Tired," agreed Ba'al. "But yo, maybe you can tell us a bit about where we're supposed to be going, Cap? What's the plan here?"